To Know Where You're Going
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: You need to know where you've been.  After Dekker falls and Jayden recovers, the residents of the Shiba House take some time to reflect on how far they have come.
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights is to be assumed to be purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T – There will be adult themes and language.

**A/N: **As of a recent review, I have since found out that the translation package I have been using for Antonio's speech in Spanish is not up to par. It was also pointed out that I have neglected to translate what he was MEANT to say for those that do not read Spanish. So, officially...oops! I apologise to anyone who DOES speak and read the language for any confusion and/or offence caused. Since I do not speak, read or write Spanish, I have opted for the policy that from now on, if Antonio is speaking English with a simple word or phrase in Spanish (like he does regularly in the show), I will write it as such. However, from now on, if I want him to say a whole sentence or phrase in Spanish, it will be written _in italics._

Jayden was sitting on a bench just on the porch of the Shiba House, watching as the others trained. Normally he would have been right there with them, but at the moment, that just wasn't an option. After his duel with Dekker, he still needed time to recover to be back to full strength and able to train at full capacity. Even the Red Samurai Ranger couldn't bounce back right away from being impaled by a sword.

At the moment, Emily and Kevin were sparring, while Mia and Antonio were paired off against one another with their respective weapons. Mentor Ji was once again taking a more active role in training; back in his training uniform taking the place Jayden normally would working with Mike on his sword work.

Now that he had been sidelined, Jayden had noticed that Mike was spending a lot more time with Mentor Ji. Indeed, thinking about it, Mike had been spending a lot more time with Mentor Ji ever since they had been hit with that spell that made them age backwards, reverting Mentor Ji to what he was like as a young man. It wasn't a bad thing, Ji was a fantastic swordsman in his own right, and his knowledge of symbol power was more extensive than most of the others. However, as Mike spent time with him, working on both unarmed and armed combat, and in the evenings spending extra time on his symbol power, Jayden couldn't help noticing that there was a kind of nervousness about Mike, like he really wanted to talk to Ji privately about something.

As he adjusted the straps on his sling, moving his arm into a more comfortable position, Antonio suddenly stopped fighting and looked over to him.

"Jayden, are you...OW!" He called over, paying the price for his sudden stop as Mia's shinai caught him across the ribs. "Hey!"

"Antonio, I'm sorry!" Mia stated.

"Don't be. Antonio, I'll be fine." Jayden assured him with a smile. "I was just itchy, but you know better than to take your eyes off an opponent."

"You're right." Antonio sighed, turning back towards Mia and readying his wooden tanto for action. "It's alright Mia, I'm fine."

As they got back into action, Serena's kit bag flopped down at Jayden's feet, and she slumped down onto the seat next to him, resting the back of her head against the wall, letting out a huge groan. Jayden just sniggered as he saw her.

"So is teaching going well?" He asked her.

"They can have the damn sword back." She commented. "Honestly, I don't know how those two can find so many ways to screw up the simplest things. It's maddening!"

As part of her mission to attain Kasamune, Serena had to convince Bulk and Spike to hand over the ancient sword. It was a little harder than she had expected to convince them to give up a sword they couldn't even remove from the scabbard. She had been unable to buy it, given the fact that when they offered more than the fifty dollars Bulk had paid for it, they started to wonder what it was really worth. The only way she could distract them from that thought and convince them to part with their 'piece of junk' was to offer to train them in the Samurai arts like they wanted. To say they were not ideal students would have been like saying she was only waiting on a phone call to confirm her Nobel Prize.

"You know, a certain Yellow Ranger told me that someone not too far from here didn't always have mad skills." Jayden told her. "In fact, I remember her saying something about it taking three weeks to learn a basic sword kata, and she also mentioned almost braining herself with a bokken during her first grading test..."

"I am so going to murder my sister." Serena replied as a little smile crossed her face. It was a little annoying to hear some of the embarrassing things she had done in her early days training, but she understood the point Jayden was making. All of them were beginners at one point. From what little he knew about Bulk and Spike, they had been 'training' themselves, but that their knowledge of the Samurai ways basically came from what they had seen on movies and in Anime. Without someone who genuinely knew what they were doing to guide them, it was no surprise their efforts were somewhat more enthusiastic than productive. "I get your point, it's just so frustrating."

"Are they really that bad?" Jayden asked her. Serena just looked at him.

"Jayden, their shinai were made out of garden canes and tennis balls." She told him flatly. "They can just about hold them, but as soon as they start waving them, they're more dangerous to themselves than me."

"Well, I guess I can help one thing at least." Jayden said, pointing to a weapon's rack next to him. "You can take two of those with you tomorrow. At least then you'll know they're using the right tools for the job."

"Thanks." She answered with a little smile. "I guess it is kind of exciting having students. I was sure it'd be years before I was teaching anyone."

"I guess most of you are only really planning on training your kids." Jayden commented with a shrug. "So, are you going to see Peter?"

"I just want to get changed first." She answered. "I've been training all morning. I feel really gross."

"You want to look good for him I suppose." Jayden said with a little smirk. Serena gave him a really dark look.

"Alright, now I'm planning where I'm burying her." She said, her embarrassment showing in her tone. Jayden just smirked.

"Come on, it's been kind of obvious." He told her. "When you've not been here or training Bulk and Spike, you've been at the hospital. Last night you got kicked out at the end of visiting hours."

"He's all alone in there." Serena protested. "Besides, he did take a pretty big hit for us. It's a miracle Dekker didn't cut him in half."

"If he wanted to he would have." Jayden said, earning himself a smack in the chest from Serena. "Alright, not the point I know."

"He's been really brave through all of this." She told him. "If it wasn't for him I'd never have gotten home. I just wish he didn't get hurt so much."

She just sniggered as a thought came to her. Jayden just furrowed his brows curiously.

"What?" He asked her.

"I just remembered something that happened on our mission." She told him. "He tried to use a Desert Eagle."

"So?" Jayden asked her. Just like Serena, he knew enough to know it was a gun, but he had never really studied guns in his training as a Samurai. He could rattle off the origin and classification of pretty much any type of Japanese blade ever created, but to him a gun was a gun.

"It's the most powerful handgun in the world." She informed him. "When he fired it, he ended up smacking himself in the face with it."

"And...that's funny?" Jayden asked her.

"It wasn't at the time; I was worried about him hurting himself." She admitted. "Thinking back though, it was kind of funny, and it was strangely cute."

"So he smacks himself in the face and you think that's cute?" He asked her. "I guess after being carved up like a thanksgiving turkey he's looking pretty adorable."

"I don't know, it's just...it was a little dorky, but it's just one of the things...oh, I can't explain it." She continued.

"He's like Emily." Jayden remarked. "Accident prone, clumsy and dorky..."

"Alright, now you've made it a little creepy." Serena interrupted him, thinking about it. With the exception of the obsession with computers, she had to admit there were a few parallels between them. Emily had always been brave to a fault, or as at least one well-meaning relative had put it, had the foresight of a lemming and never fully thought things through before she did them. Most of the times Peter had done something clumsy around her, it was when his attempts to help her over-reached his limited abilities.

"All I meant is he's brave to a fault." Jayden concluded. "I'm the Red Ranger and I was afraid to face Dekker. How many people do you think would have jumped him like that?"

"I guess you're right." Serena conceded. "I suppose it always did impress me the way he never ran from any of this. I know I wouldn't have blamed him."

She looked to Jayden as he cast his gaze back to the others, noticing the smile on his face.

"So, what are you thinking about?" She asked him. "Would it be a certain fisherman by any chance?"

While everyone now knew that Jayden was gay, to the best of her knowledge, Serena was the only one he had told that he had feelings for Antonio. He just shook his head.

"It's not just that." He told her.

"Then what?" She asked him. "I don't think I've ever seen you this happy sitting on the sidelines. I was expecting you to tear that sling off and join them."

"Sitting here, watching them train, it takes me back you know?" He said as he gestured to the group. "It's like when I was a kid and I used to watch the last team..."

"Your dad's team." Serena interjected as Jayden's words tailed off. She could understand what he was saying; he had always lived at the Shiba House. His dad had fallen in battle the last time the Nighlock threatened the world, a fact that was still painful to him, but he was there throughout that war. He had actually been there when their parents' team was active.

"It's kind of spooky in a way." He admitted. "They're so much like their parents..."

"I always thought mom was more like me." Serena said with a little pout. Jayden just laughed.

"She had her moments." He told her. "She was very like you, quite strong and confident, but she cost us more in repairs than any other Ranger."

Serena just burst out laughing hearing this.

"Yeah, mom never told me that part." Serena answered, patting him on the shoulder, before getting up and leaving. It was just as she was going that the other Rangers started to file towards the house. "Anyway, I'll just get washed up."

"Good work out there today guys." Jayden complimented them. "By the time I'm back to training, I'll be playing catch up."

"Yeah, whatever dude." Mike said with a little laugh. Emily just looked through Serena's bag, causing Jayden to look at her a little oddly.

"Emily, that's not yours." He reminded her.

"It's my sister's, it doesn't count." She said with a shrug. She found what she was looking for and let out a little squeal of excitement, pulling out a brown paper bag. She opened it and pulled out a grape, popping it into her mouth.

"Emily!" Mia chastised her.

"I'm hungry!" Emily told them. "Besides, Serena's been buying grapes for Peter every day; somehow I don't think he's going to miss a couple."

"Em, we're going for lunch." Mia reminded her. She just shrugged as she pulled off more grapes and put the bag back in Serena's things.

"Well, I'm REALLY hungry." She told her. Mia just shoved her into the house as they filed in, while Mike slowly wandered around the yard, picking up training equipment, but still occasionally casting a little glance in Mentor Ji's direction. Antonio came to Jayden's side.

"So, are we on mi amigo?" Antonio asked him. "You said you'd help me with the lunch rush."

"Yeah, I'm ready to go." Jayden said, taking Antonio's hand to help him up to his feet. "You get washed up. I'll get the cart ready."

As they all left to get ready, Mentor Ji just stopped Mike as he was racking up some shinai.

"Oh, I was just..."

"You can catch up to the others later." He stated. Mike was meant to be going into the city with Emily, Mia and Kevin. They had planned to go shopping, and then to get lunch before coming home. Mike just nodded and went with Mentor Ji towards the dojo.

They arrived in the dojo, at which Mentor Ji gestured to him to take a seat. Mike did as he was instructed, at which Mentor Ji sat opposite him, clasping his hands under his chin.

"Ask me." Mentor Ji declared. Mike just looked at him.

"Mentor?" He asked in response, not sure what he meant. Mentor Ji just sighed.

"It has been clear for a while now that you want to talk to me about something." Mentor Ji answered. "We are not going to be disturbed here, feel free to ask me anything. What troubles you?"

Mike shifted a little uncomfortably as he heard Mentor Ji say this. He did indeed want to talk to him, he had for a while. They had become a bit closer and had a better understanding when Ji had admitted to him that he had not always been the best student and saw a lot of himself in Mike. Unfortunately now that created a problem for Mike. Since Mentor Ji had been hit by the Nighlock's spell, he had seen what Mentor Ji was actually like as a younger man, and it was far from what he expected. The main thing that troubled him was that he said he saw a lot of himself in Mike. That had put a worrying thought in his head. Was that really what Ji thought of him?

"You remember when you told me that I reminded you of yourself as a kid?" Mike asked him. "What did you mean by that?"

Mentor Ji just sighed and held his face in his hands. He knew he would have to face this sooner or later. The Rangers had all been very restrained all things considered when they saw what he had been like as a younger man. It was something of a revelation, and yet they had all just gotten on with things and left it alone, respecting his right to leave his past behind him.

"I am sorry Michael." Mentor Ji stated. "When I said that, I wasn't being fair to you. You know I have always let my fear of history repeating itself rule the way I have treated you all, especially you. I fear I have been unfairly hard in the way I have viewed you."

"I can't say it wasn't a shock seeing what you were like, especially hearing what you did to those guys at the amusement park." Mike admitted. He looked to Mentor Ji, with a slight trepidation, and also hurt in his eyes. "I guess what I'm asking is...is that really how you see me?"

"No Michael." Mentor Ji told him, shaking his head. "Of all of you, Jayden included, you are perhaps the one I am most proud of. No one has done more to improve than you. You amaze me more and more every day. I allowed my fears to get the better of me."

"But you said..."

"I said we were similar, but at the same time, we are also different. I did not fear the man you are, I merely feared for the man you could become." Mentor Ji interrupted him. He leaned in closer. "What I am about to tell you, even Jayden does not know. I trust you will keep it to yourself."

Mike just nodded. Although he was still troubled, he couldn't deny the enormity of what Mentor Ji had just said. He knew that Ji had raised Jayden since his father fell in battle when Jayden was only six years old. He was, to all intents and purposes Jayden's father, having raised, trained, comforted and disciplined him throughout the entirety of his life. It was no small thing that he was admitting there was something he was keeping from Jayden.

"I was a little like you. I was rebellious, I was stubborn, and I was headstrong." He began. "However, there was something else entirely. I was also a very angry and bitter young man. I allowed that anger to consume me, and I allowed it to control me. I was afraid for you Mike. Not because I was worried about you, but because I did not want you to become the man I was."

"What were you angry about?" Mike asked him. Mentor Ji took out some paperclips, sprinkling them on the floor, before pulling out what looked like a paint brush. Ji traced a little symbol, as Mike had only seen him do when he trained the Rangers, and cast it at the paperclips. They shook a little, before bending and twisting, taking on the shape of little metal men. They all formed a line, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and started a kick-line dance. Mike just smiled as he saw it.

"If you want to know, I will tell you." Mentor Ji told him. "I only pray you do not judge me as I tell you what I feared you could become without guidance."


	2. Ji's Story

Many years before, more than he would care to admit, a young Ji rode his motorcycle through the city, blasting through crossings and red lights alike at speeds that would easily have earned him a trip in the back of a police car.

He looked around as he powered around another corner, before spinning the bike around, screeching to a complete stop. While the city was prosperous, and generally most areas were good, this district had seen a lot of hardship, and had become somewhat of a no-go area. Crime had gone up drastically in the last few years, and now very few people came anywhere near here for any good reason.

It didn't take Ji long to find what he came for. A large group of people had all gathered, half of them with shaven heads and leather jackets, the other half wearing white green hoodies. Most of them were carrying an assortment of baseball bats or blades of some description. Ji had come here knowing that another battle in the local gang turf war had broken out.

Stepping off his bike, he reached into a bag strapped to the back of it and pulled out an aluminium baseball bat. He watched for a good second or so, picking his spot, before he ploughed into the crowd, entering the fray by taking two down at once with a dropkick, kipping back up to his feet.

The next man took a swing for him, catching nothing but air, and being caught in return with a hard kick to the abdomen, before his leg was broken with a hard swing of the bat.

Ji continued to attack both sides, annihilating the comparatively unskilled thugs with seemingly no effort at all, taking only a couple of superficial shots in return.

Eventually, a shot rang out, and everyone stopped, looking around to see a couple of cops standing nearby. Sirens filled the air, as more patrol cars started to enter the street. The thugs all started to scatter as they arrived. Ji realised he had stayed too long this time.

"Freeze!" One of the cops called out, bringing a gun to bear on him. "Put the bat down!"

As Ji dropped the bat, kicking it away, he stood stock still, not wanting to risk anything. As good as he was, even he wasn't quicker than a bullet, and he knew that one thing he wasn't was bullet proof. He allowed something that looked a little like a paintbrush slip out of the sleeve of his jacket into his hand. As the cop approached him, he traced a little symbol low enough that the cop couldn't see it.

"So you're the punk that's been running around here causing all kinds of hell." The cop sneered as he kept the gun trained on him, reaching for some handcuffs.

"Doing your jobs more like." Ji snorted in response. "You're pointing the gun at the wrong person. You should be pointing it at those punks that sell shit to children and send so many bullets flying around here that decent people are scared to leave their homes."

"You want to help kid, get a badge and a uniform." The cop replied. "We don't like vigilantes in this town."

Ji cast a symbol forward, at which the man's gun fell apart in his hand. As he just stared at it in disbelief, Ji ran forward, slamming his hands into his chest and sending the cop flying to the ground. He knew that they were on the right side, so he didn't really want to risk hurting him. He made a run for his bike, leaping onto it and kick-starting it into life in one swift motion as a warning shot rang out.

"Stop him!" One of the cops screamed, but it was already too late as he ran to the end of the street, watching Ji flip onto the on ramp of the freeway. Even if they could follow him, the bike was so fast, he would easily dust them. He was gone.

A little while later, Ji pulled into the front yard of the Shiba House, seeing her in the yard, practicing a drill with a bokken against a training dummy. Miko was simply the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he had ever met. His heart always raced whenever he was near her. Of the recent inhabitants of the house, she was the one he was closest to. Just like him, she was not from one of the families destined to be Rangers. She was training just like him to serve the noble families. Unlike him though, this matter never bothered her.

She heard a movement behind her, and swung around, stopping the bokken only inches from Ji's face. He didn't even flinch as she did though. Such was her skill; he knew she would be able to stop before she struck him. She just sighed as she saw him.

"Ji." She said in a slightly exasperated tone.

"That's my name." He said with a little smile. She reached forward, touching the side of his head. He had the starts of a black eye, and his brow had been split open in the scuffle, though he didn't really seem to care much. She gave him a disapproving look that indicated to him that she was far from pleased with what she had seen. His shirt had blood stains on it too, but she was sure that it wasn't all his.

"Ji, you've been fighting again." She said in a tone that always hurt whenever he heard it from her. He cared deeply for Miko, and would give anything he had to be with her, to have her return the feelings he had for her, but she seemed oblivious to how he felt.

"You should see the other guys." He said with a little laugh, trying to make it sound a lot less serious and ease her worries.

"I'm not concerned." She told him. "They hit you in the head, and clearly there's nothing up there to damage!"

"Hey!" He protested.

"You know we're not allowed to start fights!" She told him. "We're only meant to..."

"We're only meant to stay and serve the Shiba Clan." He said in a little sing-song tone that showed his lack of reverence for what she was saying. He had heard this lecture all his life, and knew that it was the sworn duty of his family to serve the Samurai. It was not an oath he made, it had been taken centuries before he was even born, but that didn't mean he wasn't bound to it. "Do you not see what's happening out there? The punks and the gangs are ruining this city! The police can't do anything about it, but we can! We have the skills to make a real difference in this city and all we do is sit around on our asses studying books and cooking meals for a bunch of people..."

"It's our duty!" Miko told him. She couldn't look him in the eye as she protested. Just like Ji, she had read the papers and knew that crime in the city was getting worse as a result of recent economic difficulties. There was a part of her that agreed with his stance, but unlike him, she didn't question her duty.

"Then why can't you look at me when you say that?" Ji asked her. "It's because you know I'm right isn't it?"

"It's because of the position you put me in." She told him. He could hear the difference in the tone of her voice. "Your father asked me where you were."

"And you told him?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"I said I didn't know." She told him, looking to him. The look in her eyes hurt him more deeply than any blow ever could. "I lied to his face Ji; I lied to Mentor's face. You've made a liar of me."

"I never asked you to do that." Ji sighed. "I'm sorry Miko."

"I'm sorry too." She answered him. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Leaving?" He asked, a little stunned by what she had said. "Where are you going?"

"You have a gift Ji, one I never will." She told him. "Symbol power runs in your family, it doesn't in mine. So I'm expanding my skills the only way I can. Your father has asked me to go to the Wind Ninja Academy. I'm going to expand my skills with the sword."

"You don't need to go." Ji told her. "Miko, please I promise I won't..."

"And now you are the liar." She interrupted him. "You're frustrated, I get it, really. Don't you think I'd give anything to be a Ranger?"

"You'd be an amazing Ranger." He assured her. "Louise is good and everything, but she's so clumsy! You'd be far better..."

"We'll never know, because she has the Earth Powers, not me." Miko told him. "I can accept my place Ji, why can't you?"

"Because I know I'm better than everyone in that house!" He put down flatly. "There is not one of them I haven't beaten in training! I have symbol Power..."

"But that is not your duty." A stern voice stated. Ji turned to see his father standing on the porch behind him. He knew that he had heard every word of his rant, and the expression on his face said that he was far from happy with his wayward son. Ji was still too angry and frustrated to back down though. Instead of even trying to apologise, he just glared at his father angrily.

He was a little shorter than his son, and a little hunched over, the effects of years of injuries earned in service to the Shiba Clan starting to catch up to him. He was dressed in a simple grey kimono, bearing the Samurai emblem on the breast. He was completely bald, and a few wrinkles were starting to form on his face. His eyes were as cold and hard as steel as he looked disapprovingly at his son.

"Miko, go into the house and pack." Mentor Quan instructed her. "You will be leaving early tomorrow morning."

Miko looked between Ji and Quan, not really wanting to leave them alone together. She knew that things had become decidedly sour between them as they clashed regularly in their views on their responsibilities. Giving Ji one last glance, she reluctantly left, her sense of duty taking precedence over her desire to prevent father and son having yet another blazing row.

"Whose blood is that?" Quan asked him.

"No one important." Ji told him.

"Every drop of blood spilled in battle is important!" Quan roared angrily, slamming the end of his cane into the floor.

"They were punks!" Mentor Ji snapped back. "Parasites that prey on the weak! Those gangs are infecting this city, causing misery on a nightly basis..."

"And that is NONE of our concern!" Quan stated sternly. "Your place is here..."

"What? Polishing training equipment and tending to bonsai?" He asked him incredulously. "Samurai are meant to protect the weak and innocent. The people of this city are afraid to go out at night! Forgive me if I'm actually willing to do something about that!"

"Do you really think what you do makes a difference?" Quan asked him. "How long do you really think those men you fought tonight are going to be off the streets? Perhaps a couple of months while they recover? Then what do you think will happen? They'll be back out there just like they always were and your contribution will mean nothing."

"It's better than doing nothing." Ji muttered, turning his back on his father to walk away.

"Do not DARE to turn your back on me!" Quan yelled angrily. Mentor Ji just stopped in his tracks, and his fists tightened as his anger started to build. "I checked my safe..."

"You were doing nothing important with it." Ji said sarcastically, turning back to his father.

"It is not yours to take." Quan told him. He held out his hand. "Give it back."

"So it can gather dust for another generation?" Ji asked him.

"I said, give it back." Quan said a little more sternly. "I will not ask again!"

Ji didn't respond, instead turning to leave. By now his father had taken more than his fill of his son's disobedience. He grabbed Ji, spinning him around, upon which he connected with a hard roundhouse kick to his jaw. Ji fell to the ground, blood starting to well up in his mouth as he looked up at his father.

"You want to fight so badly, then fine!" Quan snapped, picking up a pair of bokken, tossing one onto the ground by his son as he stepped onto the mat.

His anger overtook his good sense, and Ji snatched up the wooden sword, running at his father with a savage yell, but his first swing went wild as the older man dodged aside, before flipping his son over onto the mat.

Ji snapped up again, swinging a few times, each one with evil intent, but his father was a skilled opponent, able to dodge or parry each of the swings, until he managed to smash aside the sword, and strike his son in the face with his elbow, sending him to the ground once more.

Wiping some blood from his broken nose, Ji got up once more, but this time he didn't even get to swing, his father slamming his bokken into his stomach, before grabbing his arm and twisting it, forcing Ji to his knees.

Ji knew that it was pointless to struggle. His father could, and would willingly break every bone in his arm with one twist. His father took the sword from Ji's hand and threw it across the yard, before reaching into his pocket and taking the paint brush. He shoved Ji unceremoniously to the floor, leaving him face down on the mat.

"You are a disgrace!" He hissed angrily. "Our family has its place, it is time you learned it. Pack your bags."

"You're kicking me out?" Ji asked him.

"It is clear this city is not the place for you at this time." Quan said dismissively. As Ji sat up, Quan threw a letter into his son's lap. "You will go to the Wind Ninja Academy with Miko. Perhaps some time in the mountains will cool that hot head of yours."

He threw his own bokken on the ground aggressively.

"Clean this up, get yourself cleaned up, and pack your bags." Quan stated. "Until you grow up a little, there is no place for you here."

Back in the present day, Mike's mouth hung open as he heard Mentor Ji's story. He knew that Ji had been a lot more vicious and aggressive in his youth, but he had no idea why.

"So you were pissed at your dad?" Mike asked him.

"I was resentful of my whole family." Mentor Ji corrected him. "I was trained for my whole life for a war I was never going to fight. Because of an oath I was never asked if I accepted, I was pledged to serve the noble families. I believed I was better than them, and I resented them for taking what I believed was rightfully mine."

"But...I thought you were friends with our parents." Mike commented.

"That came much later." Ji told him. "Before I went to the Wind Ninja Academy, I believed your parents to be lacking, and they believed me to be arrogant and excessively aggressive. Jayden's father in particular told me in no uncertain terms many times that he believed me to be unsuitable for my place in the house."

"I thought Jayden's dad was your best friend." Mike said. Mentor Ji just smiled.

"Again, that took time." Ji explained. "He didn't like or trust me. Over time though, once I returned, I earned that trust. In time, he came to trust me with the most precious thing in the world to him."

"Jayden." Mike replied. Ji just nodded. "So, I know something went down at the Wind Ninja Academy..."

"So you want to hear more?" Mentor Ji asked. Mike just nodded in response.


	3. Turning Points

Mia and Emily were walking through the department store, keeping an eye out for things that interested them, while Kevin was a few paces behind, carrying an assortment of bags. The shopping portion of the day was not the most interesting for him, and it sure as hell wasn't why he was there. He really wanted to spend some time with Mia, and had agreed to the double-date as a way to accomplish that. Unfortunately, Mentor Ji had held Mike back, meaning that now Kevin was the only guy on a girls' day out. As much as he liked Emily, she was kind of a third wheel at this point in time since Mike wasn't there to distract her.

"Mike just texted." Kevin told them. "He said he's meeting us at the restaurant and just to go on without him."

He inwardly cursed Mike for that. He knew that Mentor Ji had asked him to hang back, but a part of him was wondering if Mike wasn't stringing it out a little in order to skip the shopping portion of the day, something he knew that interested Mike a whole lot less than him unless they were heading by a Game or Forbidden Planet.

"Sorry Em." Mia said a little sympathetically. The Yellow Ranger just shrugged.

"Mike's not into shopping anyway." Emily replied. "He'd just have been whining the whole way round the store."

Emily wasn't really into shopping too much either to be honest. Being a country girl, without taking an hours' drive to the nearest city, the only form of 'shopping' in her area was really a general store about a mile from the farm. The city's shopping scene was completely unlike anything she was used to.

"I guess that's true." Mia added. "Besides, Kevin's fine to carry the bags, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that's me." He sighed, gesturing to the bags he was already carrying. "One two-legged, very bored pack mule."

"Aw...did I happen to tell you I love donkeys?" Mia asked him, coming over and kissing him softly. "Especially when they're this cute."

Emily just pretended to gag, teasing the older Rangers, but stopped when she saw Mia's face change. It wasn't long before Emily figured out what had gotten to her. They could hear guitar music a little way off. Kevin seemed to stiffen up too, before making his way in the direction of the music. Mia and Emily made off in pursuit, but they found him standing, having stopped as he saw a busker, but it was a woman there with a little kid running around with a box for people to put change into. He looked to Mia, seeing the look on her face.

"Kevin, it's alright." She told him.

"I thought..."

"I know, I thought it might be too." Mia interrupted him. "Look, I don't want to see him again either, but I think we have to accept that if Aaron's back in town, then there's a possibility I might run into him."

"Well, there is one solution to that problem." Kevin suggested.

"Kevin!" Emily reprimanded him. Normally Kevin would be the first one to remind everyone about their responsibilities to the Samurai, and their oaths, one of the most important of which was not to abuse their training.

"I'm sorry." He sighed, realising they were right. "I mean, I know that wouldn't be right. It just gets to me when I know he's still around. If he had any decency..."

"He has just as much right to find somewhere to try and make a home as I do." Mia told him. "I think we both have to accept that."

"Maybe." Kevin muttered. "It doesn't mean to say I have to like it."

"Mia!" They heard a little voice calling out. Mia turned around to see a kid, maybe around six years old running towards her at an incredible speed, his face lit up with excitement. Mia's face split into a little smile as she bent down, accepting a hug as the kid threw himself at her.

"Billy, how are you?" She asked him. "It's been ages, you're getting so big!"

"My birthday was last week." He declared proudly. "I'm six now."

"Wow, you're getting to be such a big boy." She answered him. Kevin just coughed to remind her that they were there.

"Perhaps you'd like to introduce us?" He asked.

"Guys, this is Billy." Mia told them as a woman ran into view, looking around frantically, before seeing the boy and coming over. They presumed she was Billy's mom. "Billy, these are my friends Emily and Kevin."

"Mia?" The mother asked as she arrived, looking to the Pink Ranger. "I thought Billy was mistaken when he said he saw you near the Gap. How have you been?"

"I've been getting along really well." Mia told her. "Guys, this is Mrs. Johnson, Billy's mom."

"Where have you been? The kids all miss you like crazy at the playgroup." Mrs. Johnson said, giving Mia a little smile. "Billy wouldn't stop asking when you were going to be back for ages!"

"I've had some really important things to do." Mia answered. "I'm really sorry I left so suddenly, but I really just...anyway, I can't believe how big Billy's getting!"

"I know, it seems like I'm buying him new clothes every other week." Mrs Johnson answered.

"Are you coming back soon?" Billy asked her. Mia just looked to the others, before kneeling down to his level. She knew that they were far from having finished with Master Xandred, and that any contact with home was potentially dangerous.

"I'm sorry Billy, but I won't be back for a really long time." She told him. "In fact, by the time I'm back, you might already be all grown up and off to school."

She saw the look of disappointment on the little boy's face and just hugged him.

"You just be a good boy for your mommy alright?" Mia asked him. He just nodded as he parted from her.

"I miss you." He told her, before he and his mother started to walk away. Emily looked to Mia.

"Playgroup?" She asked. "You worked at a playgroup?"

"It was my therapist's idea." Mia told them. "He knew I'd need to get used to seeing kids around and thought it might help me to volunteer a couple of days a week at the local playgroup after...you know..."

Kevin just put his arm around her, turning her in the direction of the restaurant. They both knew exactly what she meant. They both knew all about the loss of the son she'd had with Aaron.

"That must have been so hard for you." Emily said sympathetically.

"It was at first." Mia admitted. "But in time, I came to love it. I had already missed the sweeps period for the colleges, and I couldn't afford to go anyway, so I kept it up. In time, they took me on as a paid employee."

"I can't imagine anyone that would have been better." Kevin replied, kissing her cheek softly. Mia just smiled.

"I do really miss the kids." She admitted. "It's them that I fight for really."

Just then, Kevin's phone bleeped. He pulled it out, checking his messages.

"Mike's heading for the restaurant." He told them. "We should be making our way there."

Meanwhile, back at the Shiba House, Mentor Ji was just relaxing after relaying his story to Mike. It was one of the few times he had the house to himself these days. As much as he loved the Rangers, having a house full of young people kind of reminded him of his own youth, a time where he had done many things that he was far from proud of.

He was grateful for the friendships the Rangers had made. Knowing how isolated and insular he was as a young man, he knew the anger that could only be enflamed by trying to deal with life by themselves. Already, Emily was becoming a much more confident young woman, and her progress in training reflected the difference in her. Mike had concerned him for a long time, but his contact with Kevin and Jayden had been a good influence. At first, it was because of his competitive nature and wanting to be their equal, but in the end it was because his efforts to match their dedication gave him a whole new level of respect for the sacrifices they made.

Kevin had the opposite problem, and his contact with the rest of the team humanised him, and made him realise that there was more to life than training and discipline. A few short months ago, proposing that he spend a day shopping instead of training would have been as appealing as asking him to run naked through a field of thorn bushes. Now though, he could take a little time to relax whenever the guys had a barbecue, and he had even been caught joining the occasional videogames night with Mike and Antonio.

As he poured himself a cup of tea, he thought back to the friends that had finally turned him around, and how when he did know them, he would never have believed that they would be the ones to change his life.

He had been at the Wind Ninja Academy with Miko now for a couple of months. It had taken about that long for everyone to get over the events of their first few days there. In their first week at the academy, he had already seen one students, and Earth Ninja named Kia, being declared as evil for harnessing some form of dark powers and banished, not just from the academy, but indeed from the whole planet!

It had taken a while for Miko to settle in. For starters, there were many of the Wind Ninja Academy students who were not exactly shy in being vocal about their disapproval that the doors had been opened to Samurai students. Some of them had even whispered that perhaps it was the amulet Miko had brought with her, the one that had been passed through her family for centuries that had turned Kia. Miko worked hard to learn the new techniques, and to win over her fellow students with her hard work and respect for their ways. As usual though, Ji had taken another route entirely.

He was out in the woods, his nose dripping blood from his latest fight, while a couple of young Wind Ninjas lay around him. They were much tougher than the street thugs he had been used to facing back home, but he had prevailed in this encounter which started when he had heard one of them dare to speak Miko's name, the name of the woman he loved with all of his heart, in the same sentence as Kia's name.

He heard a horse riding up behind him and turned to see the head of the Academy Guard riding towards him. In a single, fluid motion, Kanoi leapt from the saddle of his horse, fly-kicking Ji in the ribs and sending him flying into the bushes. A couple of other temple guards arrived directly behind him.

"You again Ji?" Kanoi asked him.

"Try talking to your students." Ji snapped in response, getting back to his feet. "They dishonour Miko's name behind her back! They make foundless accusations against her honour that they dare not even speak to her face!"

Kanoi grabbed one of the students, hauling him to his feet as he saw the look on his face. Unfortunately Kanoi knew that there was still whispers around the academy which circulated around the fact that Kia's betrayal and subsequent banishment had occurred directly after the Samurai had arrived, one of whom had then disappeared with the amulet in question before anyone could question him.

There was no evidence to suggest that the Samurai had anything to do with Kia's actions, indeed any evidence Kanoi had found had suggested that Kia had been dabbling in the Dark Arts long before they had arrived, which was why Sensei had decreed that they could stay. Of course the problem with coincidence and rumour was that it didn't need evidence to run rampant. Of course Ji's one-man mission to beat respect into anyone that even mentioned the fact was doing more harm than good to their efforts to allay fears about their presence.

"Go to the guard chambers!" Kanoi snapped at the student, shoving him away. "We will discuss the dishonour of spreading foundless accusation once this is done."

The students all ran off, heading back to the academy as Kanoi and the other guards surrounded Ji.

"So is this where you visit my 'justice'?" Ji asked him. "There's no one around..."

"We don't settle things that way here Ji." Kanoi said at him, glaring through him. "If it were up to me, you would have been kicked out of the academy weeks ago, but Sensei has seen fit to excuse your actions thus far."

"Keep control of your students Kanoi, and I will keep control of my temper!" Ji warned him, preparing to walk away. Kanoi moved to block his path.

"Damn it Ji, we're all trying to make this work! Even Miko is keeping her patience!" Kanoi reprimanded him. "Do you think the whispers have not met her ears? It was her amulet Kia tried to use. The difference between you is that she knows attacking everyone that speaks ill of her accomplishes nothing!"

"Get out of my way Kanoi." Ji told him.

"Sir." Kanoi corrected him. "I am still the head of academy security."

"Step aside." Ji responded, moving closer and speaking a little louder for emphasis. "Sir!"

Kanoi just stepped aside, allowing Ji to head back to the academy. He shook his head as one of the other guards gestured to his sword. The guard stayed his hand.

"I swear Sensei must see something in him." Kanoi stated. "Because right now, I can see nothing."

Kanoi arrived back in the academy, making his way to a small equipment shed that he had been allowed to set up a bed in. Normally students all shared dormitories, separate ones for men and women naturally, but given the trouble surrounding, Sensei had suggested that he be allowed his own space, and this was the best they could do to accommodate him on academy grounds.

He pulled off his top, and went to his wash bowl, beginning to clean up his wounds. He heard a knock on the door behind him and turned to see Miko standing behind him.

"Again Ji?" She asked him.

"You did not hear what they said." Ji put down flatly. "Honour demanded recompense."

"Ji, why do you care so much what they say about you?" She pleaded with him. "You know that your dad always said..."

"I know what my father always said." Ji interrupted her. "I have heard it more times than I care to remember."

He saw the stunned look on Miko's face. He couldn't blame her, he never spoke to her so harshly. Of all the people in the world, she was the one person that would never want to hurt. The thing was that what they said about him genuinely didn't concern him. It was what they said about her. He would never allow someone to say something about her without it being repaid in kind.

"I am sorry Miko." He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed with him. "It's just...we've been here for weeks. Sensei has already cleared us of suspicion and yet the others..."

"It annoys me too." Miko admitted as she sat beside him on the bed, putting an arm around him. "But why continue to smash your head against a wall that refuses to be broken?"

"Then what do we use to smash that wall?" He asked her. She just smiled.

"Why smash it at all?" Miko asked. "Just keep walking. Eventually you can walk around it."

He smiled at her. He loved the way that Miko could say things to him in a way that made him listen. She was so wise and warm, he couldn't help falling for her. He reached up to her face, moving in closer to kiss her, but she pulled away from him. His heart broke as she reacted like that. He had never tried to push their friendship beyond that, but he was lost in the moment. Now he feared he may have ruined one of the only friendships he still had.

"Ji, I'm sorry." She whispered, looking away from him. "I did not mean to mislead you..."

"No, I'm sorry." He answered. "I should never have..."

Just then, he noticed something hanging around Miko's neck. He looked to it, seeing that it looked a lot like the amulet she had worn before. Miko saw where his gaze was going and reached to it to put it away.

He was too quick for her though and snatched it. It was not her amulet, it had gone with the stranger, but it was an excellent facsimile. It had obviously taken a long time and a lot of effort for whoever had made it to create, the kind of care and time that only had one explanation. He looked to Miko.

"Who gave this to you?" He asked her.

"Ji..."

"Who?" He demanded again a little more gruffly. Miko could hardly look at him. Things were already frosty between Ji and Kanoi as a result of his constant discipline problems, and she had kept it from him for exactly this reason.

"It was Kanoi." She told him.

Ji just got up and stormed out of the shed.

"Ji, stop!" She screamed after him. "Ji!"

Her words fell on deaf ears though. Ji made his way purposefully through the academy, ignoring everyone as he made his way for the guard station. When he got there, he kicked the doors open, bursting in on Kanoi dressing down the students that he had fought with earlier.

"Ji!" Kanoi roared, seeing him. "You are out of line!"

"Get out!" He barked to the others in the room. "Go!"

Kanoi just nodded to the other students to indicate that they could go. He could see that Ji was in no mood to be denied. As they left, Ji just glared through him, the intensity in his gaze indicating a pure loathing that bordered on the psychotic.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kanoi demanded. Miko arrived in behind him, tears running down her face. Ji just threw the amulet at Kanoi, striking him in the chest. Kanoi saw the amulet and could guess what this was about. Over the time he had spent with Miko, getting her accustomed to her new home, something had changed between them. He had made the amulet for her when he told her exactly how much she meant to him.

"Challenge!" Ji hissed. Miko looked between the two men she cared about so deeply.

"No, you can't..."

"Challenge accepted." Kanoi interrupted her. He knew that Ji was not challenging him to any mere fight, it was a matter of honour as far as he was concerned. By putting down the challenge, the ball was now in Kanoi's court, and honour demanded a response. "Meet me at the highest point in Blue Bay Harbour at midnight."

Ji just nodded and turned, storming out, brushing past Miko.

"Ji!" She called out, before turning back to Kanoi. "Kanoi, you must stop this!"

Kanoi didn't answer though, just making his way back towards his own quarters. Miko was torn, not knowing what to do. In the end, she made the choice which she thought she was most likely to be able to reason with and ran off after Kanoi.


	4. Life Changing Friendships

Mia and Kevin arrived at the restaurant, looking around to see if Mike was already waiting. He had texted them to let them know he was on his way, but knowing Mike, that could mean anything between he was on the same street, and he had only just left the Shiba house. Unable to see him, they presumed he had meant the latter.

"It's looking kind of busy." Kevin commented. Since they had run into Billy earlier in the city, he had hoped to get a little privacy so that he could talk to Mia about it. She had gotten a little quiet, indicating that it had affected her somehow. He could only presume that she was thinking about something, and he hoped to get her to share the load. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"We're here now and Mike's on the way." Emily reminded him, waving frantically to try and attract a waiter to seat them. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure anyone could see her over the crowds of seated people. "Sometimes I hate being the smallest."

"If anyone can attract attention you can." Kevin told her. "Go see if you can find someone."

Emily just nodded and went to find a waiter, at which Kevin turned towards his girlfriend, seeing her watching Emily go with a little smile.

"She's definitely energetic." Kevin commented. "Billy seemed quite energetic too."

"He's six Kevin." Mia said with a little laugh. "It's only when you get old like us that you lose that energy."

"Something tells me Emily will still be running rings around us when she's 80." Kevin joked in return. He took a deep breath. "You never told me you worked with kids."

"Yeah, I worked at the playgroup." Mia stated. "I was actually there when the arrow came to tell me it was time to go. You'd have thought kids that small would have been scared, but all they thought was it was cool and they wanted to know where it came from!"

"I have to admit, that was a pretty unique delivery system." Kevin laughed, remembering when he got his message. "I already knew what the message was. Dad warned me it was coming. Just as well really, everyone at the meet was just wondering where the hell an arrow came from while I was heading to the changing room."

"No one suspected you?" Mia asked him.

"Someone just fired an arrow at us." He reminded her. "Trust me; I wasn't the only one running the hell out of there."

"I'll say you had to have run." Mia stated with a little smile. "From what I remember you didn't even dress yourself properly."

"Yeah, that wasn't one of my crowning glories." Kevin replied, feeling his face getting a little warm as he remembered the first time he met Mia. He has just seen an SUV with the Samurai emblem on the door, and had instinctively run to it, presuming that the red Ranger was on board. As the window rolled down, he could remember seeing the face of the woman that made his heart race for the first time. Of course, on that occasion, he could only concentrate on that for a second as he saw she was staring at his chest, before realising he had run out of the pool without zipping up his top. It was more than a little embarrassing, but as she got out and explained who she was, he couldn't help feeling a little better. It would not have been appropriate for him, a vassal, to harbour feelings for his Shogun, the Red Ranger. Once he heard that she was a vassal like him, that made it a different matter.

He turned back to her, trying to get the conversation back to what he was trying to address.

"Mia, you said you went there at your therapist's suggestion." Kevin reminded her. "What did..."

"Hey peeps, sorry I'm late." Mike interrupted as he arrived. Kevin just groaned, as usual he had easily the worst timing he possibly could, arriving before Kevin could address the issue with Mia. "Hey, it looks like Emily found us a waiter!"

The Yellow Ranger had indeed gone and gotten a waiter, and was almost dragging him towards them. She had a huge smile on her face, proud of herself for rounding him up.

"Table for four." Kevin sighed, realising the moment had passed. The waiter just got them some menus and gestured for them to follow him. As they did, Mia's mind couldn't help trying to process what Kevin had said. When she had explained who Billy was, and told them about working at the playgroup, he had picked up on the fact she had said it was her therapist's idea. Now she guessed he wanted to know more.

In the past, Mia was sitting in the therapist's office, holding a little pink teddy bear in her hands, staring down at it. She didn't really know why she had kept it. While her parents hadn't been thrilled when they found out she was pregnant, they had been supportive throughout the whole process, even when the worst had happened and Evan was taken from her only days after he had been born. Her parents had bought her the bear while she was still carrying Evan as a gift for their grandson.

It was a cute enough little thing, with an adorable little smile, and shiny black eyes, but as she looked at it now, staring into its smiling little face, all she could think about was what she had lost.

"Do you think you're ready?" The therapist asked her. It had been about three months now since Evan had been taken from her. However, in the weeks after it happened, it had become abundantly clear to everyone involved that she was not dealing with the loss well. The hospital had recommended grief counselling when she first left the hospital, but she had refused. It was only a little while later before her family finally convinced her to seek help when they found her unable to let go.

She just nodded reluctantly, before handing the bear to the woman. The therapist put the bear aside, looking to Mia and smiling.

"I really think this will be a good thing for you." She assured Mia, who was clearly a little unsure about the course of action. "All you need to remember is that it is a voluntary position. The staff know what you've been through. They'll understand if you feel like you need some time and need to go home."

Mia just nodded in understanding as she gathered her jacket. The therapist took her from the office, showing her the way to her car.

Mia dreaded every moment of the journey. Since it happened, she couldn't even look at children. She avoided toy stores, play parks, anywhere she was likely to run into kids. She had found her world getting smaller and smaller, barely leaving her house for anything other than training, up until the moment she finally realised she needed help. When she had been in the yard training, a kid had kicked a ball into their yard by accident. He had come through to ask for it back, and is could only stare at him, a million and one thoughts racing through her mind. What would he have been like? What would he have looked like? Would he have been a happy child?

As her father saw what was going on, he ran out to run interference, giving the boy his ball back. As the little boy left, he turned to see Mia in tears. He just held her as she broke down. She didn't even know how long she cried after that.

As they arrived at their destination, the therapist stopped the car, looking to where Mia was just staring in at the kids running around, playing happily.

"It's up to you." The therapist told her. "We can try this another day..."

Mia just shook her head and opened the door, getting out. The therapist got out as well, coming to Mia's side and going with her into the yard. They found one of the workers there, who just smiled and approached them.

"Mia, this is Mrs. Dearing, she's the manager here." The therapist explained, turning to Mrs. Dearing. "This is Mia."

"I've been looking forward to meeting you." Mrs. Dearing said, placing a hand on Mia's shoulder. "I'll just show you where you can hang your jacket."

Mia just nodded and went with her, looking around as the kids started to stare at her, realising that there was someone new in their midst, dreading meeting them for the first time.

As they got inside, Mrs. Dearing took her to a side room, marked as the staff room. Once she was there, Mrs. Dearing took her jacket and hung it up on a coat hook on the back of the door.

"Dr. Sinclair explained the situation to us." She assured Mia. "The kids all know they aren't allowed in here. If you find anything getting too much for you, feel free to come in here and take a little break."

"Thank you." Mia whispered, sitting on a chair. Mrs. Dearing turned to a kettle and clicked it on, before going to a cupboard and fetching out some coffee and a mug. She showed it to Mia.

"I took the liberty." She stated, gesturing to the cup, putting some coffee in it. She then looked to Mia and smiled. "The kettle should be boiled shortly. Just take all the time you need."

Mia just nodded in response as Mrs Dearing left. She just took a deep breath and held her head in her hands as she tried to prepare herself for what she would have to face soon.

Back at the Shiba House, Mentor Ji went into the hall as he heard the door opening, and Jayden came in with Antonio. They both seemed rather pleased with themselves, laughing and joking as they arrived. Ji couldn't help smiling to see this. He had never seen Jayden happier than he had been since Antonio had come back into his life.

"I take it the lunch rush went well." Mentor Ji asked them.

"Like you would not believe!" Antonio stated, patting Jayden on the shoulder. "I think the sling may have bought us some sympathy points. All anyone would ask is how he was and what happened."

"I told them it was a squash injury until I figured out I got more sympathy saying it was a car accident." Jayden said with a little smile. "One guy bought about half Antonio's stock in one go."

"I swear, I need to take you out every day." Antonio said with a little chuckle.

"Unfortunately my shoulder's not going to be like this forever." Jayden reminded him.

"Well maybe we'll just have to see about that." Antonio joked. "You know that bathroom floor can get pretty slippery."

As they went to their room to get cleaned up and changed, Mentor Ji just contented himself to see Jayden so happy. He couldn't have been more proud of him if Jayden had been his own flesh and blood. Fate had not given him that special someone with whom he could have had a family of his own, but in Jayden, the man who had ended up his best friend had given him the most precious gift in the world.

His mind went back to the moment that changed his life, and set him on the path that granted him the life he now had, the one he was proud of.

Ji was standing on a clearing on the highest point in Blue Bay Harbour, waiting for his opponent. As he paced back and forth, he gripped his katana tightly.

Every fibre in his being burned like an inferno. Not only had he continued to face the scorn and accusations of the Ninja Academy students, and the fact that his father had sent him away from his home, banishing him from the only home he had ever known until he accepted his lot in life, now he had lost the woman he loved to the man who seemed to exemplify every injustice that had been visited upon him.

He never asked to be born into the family he was, and he sure as hell hadn't asked to be beholden to the oath that his clan had taken centuries before he was born to remain subservient to the noble families, to train and strive to be the best he could be, only to take a back seat to others, many of whom he felt he was better than. Over privileged children that had gotten their position in exactly the same way he had, by an accident of birth. In his eyes, they had earned nothing.

However, the only thing that kept him from going completely off the deep end was his love for Miko. Having her with him, knowing that she was in his life, and his hopes that one day she would share the way he felt about her was all that had stopped him from turning his back on his father, his clan, and the Samurai altogether years before. Now though, this man, a man she had only known a matter of weeks, Kanoi, had taken her from him.

He hated Kanoi's arrogance, and his privileged attitude. As Captain of the Academy Guard, he had a lot of privileges around the academy, privileges he was sure he had used to win over Miko. He had crafted her a copy of the amulet she had lost when Kia, his own twin brother no less, had turned his back on the Wind Ninja Academy and been banished. It vanished with the stranger that had defeated him in a duel for the amulet.

He heard hooves, and turned to see a horse arriving, carrying Miko and Kanoi, and his anger just increased. Even now, she was with him. Now when they were coming together for an honour duel, one to which they had both agreed. This was no mere fight they were here for, by invoking an honour duel; Ji knew what he had done. Only one of them would walk away.

Kanoi leapt off his horse, and started to make his way towards Ji, a ninjato strapped to his back. He looked to Ji with a serious look on his face as the moon lit the clearing where they were standing.

"I'm amazed you showed up." Ji sneered. "I would have thought you'd hide behind your guards and your position like you always do."

"I hide behind nothing Ji. It is you who is the coward." Kanoi said coldly in response. "You do not have the courage to accept the world as it is. You simply react like a frightened animal, attacking anything that hurts you or doesn't go your way."

"At least no one in my family never did anything that warranted banishing them from the whole planet." Ji responded.

"That is the difference between us Ji." Kanoi stated. "I would never sink so low as to say something like that simply to hurt another."

"Ji, please, just walk away." Miko told him. Ji just looked to her, seeing the pleading look in her eyes and shook his head.

"It has gone too far." Ji told her. He gripped the handle of his katana, drawing it. He threw the scabbard aside as he adopted his stance, preparing for the battle to begin.

"If this is the way it has to be." Kanoi replied, reaching to his ninjato. He pulled it out slowly, before throwing it to the ground. He crossed his arms across his chest and stood staring at him. "Do what you will."

"Coward!" Ji roared at him. "Pick it up!"

"No." Kanoi put down bluntly. "Despite the bad blood between us, Miko cares for us both. I will not hurt her by harming someone she cares for."

"I said pick it up!" Ji roared again, his face a mask of pure rage by now. Kanoi just shook his head.

"If you want your duel, go ahead. Do what you will." Kanoi said bravely. "You will get no resistance from me."

At that point, Miko came over to where Ji was standing, at which he started to relax his stance, still glaring at Kanoi. She reached him, turning his face to look into his eyes.

"Ji, please, I do not want to see either of you die tonight." She told him. You are my oldest and dearest friend. I could not bear to see anything happen to you."

"But I love you." He replied. "He took you from me!"

"Love is not something that can be taken. It can only be given." Miko told him. "I am sorry that I do not feel what you do, but that was not my choice."

"And he is?" Ji asked her, starting to relent. He felt sadness creeping into his heart as he realised this was the conversation he had been dreading for years, the reason he had never told her what he felt for her. "Is this what your heart truly wants?" Miko just nodded.

"I am sorry, but it is." She assured him. "Do you really think I could remain friends with the man that killed the man I love?"

"No." Ji whispered as tears started to run down her face. "No more than you could love a man that murdered your best friend."

"This would be pointless Ji. It would accomplish nothing." Kanoi told him. "It would only ensure we both lost what we care about so deeply."

"Please Ji, this is what I want." Miko said sympathetically.

"It is what my heart wants also." Kanoi told him. Ji just nodded in understanding as he picked up his scabbard. He finally realised in that moment what everyone had been trying to tell him. He had fought all the wrong battles and for all the wrong reasons. In the end, his battles meant nothing. Those that scorned and disrespected him still spoke ill of him. Those he had beaten on the streets of his home city would likely be back on the streets only weeks later. As much as he wanted the world to be different, this was no way to accomplish it.

"Then I shall have to find a way to be happy for you." He said, putting the sword away. He extended a hand to Kanoi. "It is clear your wisdom is greater than mine. For that I am grateful."

As Kanoi accepted the handshake, a mutually acceptable way to end the situation without bloodshed, little did Ji know that he had just laid the foundations for a friendship that would change his life forever.


	5. Peter's Visitor

At the hospital, Peter was lying on his bed, his eyes glazing over as he watched the inane soap opera on the television in the corner of his room. After his fight with Dekker, he had been injured so gravely, that he was still not able to leave.

His chest was now responding to pain, a constant dull ache, since the doctors had greatly reduced his medication to try and avoid the possibility of addiction. It had more than a few unfortunate side-effects, namely that now he wasn't dosed up, he realised how truly dull and inane all six channels on his basic set really were, his sense of taste was no longer inhibited, so he realised how truly awful the hospital food were, and more than that, he was now starting to think a lot more clearly, so all he could do in this place was play over in his mind again and again what had happened that brought him here.

He and Serena had finally acquired Kasamune, and were on their way to help Jayden, but when they arrived, the duel was already underway. While the Red Ranger had been holding his own, it was clear that the battle was desperate, and that it was so close that a single moment could tip the battle either way.

He remembered seeing Serena drawing Kasamune, and heading for the cliff's edge to help Jayden, but as she got near, he saw a gap between some rocks glowing red. He was still too far back to do anything as Dayu burst through, and tackled Serena. His heart stopped as he saw the momentum of the blow carry both of them over the edge of the cliff.

He couldn't believe that their quest had ended that way. They had come so far, done so much, only for Serena to be thrown from a cliff. How could that be how it ended? He wanted to go and check on Serena, but his anger overtook him. Since Dayu wasn't around, in a blind rage, he threw himself at the nearest Nighlock to hand, which happened to be Dekker.

He leapt on his back, grabbing Dekker around the throat, staggering him slightly with his bodyweight, but with his limited skill he was more of an inconvenience than a credible threat. Thinking about it now, he wasn't even sure Nighlock really breathed, so he had no idea if his attack had any effect on Dekker at all, other than to stagger him for a second and add a little weight to him, slowing him down. It wasn't for long though, pretty soon he found himself on the ground a little way from Dekker, getting to his knees just in time to see Urumasa swing his way.

He didn't remember anything that happened after that. He never felt the blade strike; all he could remember up until he woke up in the hospital was darkness.

He heard the door and smiled a little as Serena came in. He knew she had been to see him each day, he could remember seeing her, but the medication meant that he didn't really know what they had talked about. He couldn't remember too much about what had happened over the last few days, indeed, at one time he had wondered if he had survived, or if he had joined Serena in the afterlife. It was a thought that he had loved, thinking that there was somewhere she would see him as something other than the tech nerd Hayley and Daisuke had sent to help her, but now he knew he was very much alive, and so was she. It was something of a bittersweet pill. He was happy that she had survived, and seemed largely unharmed by the experience, but it also meant he was back to the reality of being hopelessly head over heels for a girl who would likely never look at him again once he was back on his feet.

"How are you today?" She asked him. He held up his hand, tipping it back and forth to indicate that he was alright, but not brilliant.

"They reduced my medication." He told her. "Maybe I won't be such a space cadet when I talk to you today."

Serena just smiled as she came over, sitting by the edge of his bed.

"Well at least you don't have Bulk and Spike as students." She told him. "I swear, sometimes I think I'll be as old as Mentor Ji by the time they learn anything."

"Well they have a good teacher." He complimented her. "I'm sure that has to count for something right?"

Serena could feel herself blush a little as Peter said that. She had to admit that she had started to see Peter in a different light across the time they had spent together. Back at the Tengen Gate, she had protested with Daisuke loudly, right in front of Peter, begging him not to send him with her, fearing that he would only slow her down. Her feelings on the matter didn't improve when Peter sprung on her the fact that their cover in Monte Carlo was that they were posing as a married couple, something she had made abundantly clear to him that she wasn't happy about.

He wasn't a bad looking guy, but he definitely wasn't the kind of guy she normally felt drawn to. However, she did have to admit being more than a little impressed when he helped her out on the ship. She could remember though that the real moment she started to see him in a new light was when he had all but single-handedly freed them from the facility they had been taken to for interrogation.

"Um...I have something for you." She told him, rummaging through her bag. She pulled out the brown paper bag, but groaned as she looked inside.

"Damn it Emily!" She growled slightly, pulling out a bunch of grapes, though the branch was looking somewhat threadbare, having been picked off more than a few of the grapes. "Sorry Peter, I swear..."

"Hey, it's the thought that counts." He replied as Serena put the bag up on the side unit. "You wouldn't want to deprive a growing girl."

"Please, Emily's not grown since she was fifteen." Serena said with a little chuckle. "So...they reduced your medication. Does it hurt much?"

"Well, I know that the bottom half of my body's still attached to the upper half." He told her. "Of course between doses sometimes I'm not so sure that's a good thing."

"I talked to the doctors; I think I might be able to bring one of your computers in soon." She told him. "I figured some of your games might be a bit more entertaining than the daytime soaps."

"I need both thumbs remember?" He asked her, lifting up his left hand and wiggling his thumb. Although everything was still attached, the wound was deep enough to cause muscle damage, which meant he had some limited mobility in his right arm and hand. "Besides, I'm not so sure computers are such a good influence on my life. They got me here didn't they?"

"No." Serena disagreed, pointing to his chest, taking care not to press down and aggravate his wounds. "This did. Not many people would have tried to take on Dekker. Jayden and I were terrified to take him on."

"Yeah, maybe I should have taken notice." Peter said with a weak little laugh. Serena took his hand in hers. She knew what it was like to be laid up; she hated hospitals with a vengeance. Given the last time she had been here, in a room not too far from where Peter was now as it happened.

In the past, Serena was lying in her bed, her parents standing a little back from her bed. She had been here now for a couple of months, since the illness had spread and she was no longer capable of staying at home, where her mother's knowledge of first aid simply couldn't cope with the needs of her care.

As she looked to her parents, she noticed something was very badly wrong. They usually at least tried to smile, tried to force themselves to be strong while they visited her, but this time, they just stood close together, mutually supporting each other. Emily was also noticeably absent. Serena felt her eyes starting to water up as she looked to her parents, seeing that they were struggling to begin this conversation.

"It's getting worse isn't it?" Serena asked them. Her mom and dad just looked to each other, almost confirming what she had just asked. She felt her tears beginning to run down her face as she noticed this. "I'm not going to get better am I?"

"No honey." Her father finally managed to croak out, coming over to the edge of the bed, taking her hand. Her mother sat down next to them as he looked to his daughter, his heart breaking as he had to tell her. The doctors had only just given them the news, but her parents insisted that they thought the news might be better coming from them. "No you're not. It's spread too far."

It was a strange moment. It was something she had been dreading all along. She had always hoped that she would recover, that she would finally have all the things she had been missing out on. She had only just squeaked out a graduating grade from High School as a result of her illness, and she knew that college was certainly not a possibility. She wanted everything a woman wanted. The family, the home, the whole nine yards. All of that was being torn away from her now. Worse, she also knew that it meant she would not be able to take up her responsibility of becoming the Yellow Ranger.

The thing she dreaded more than anything else was that it meant her beloved sister, her little Emily, would have no choice but to take her place. While she never doubted her heart for a moment, that she would have the courage to go and take her place and face the Nighlock, her love didn't blind her to the fact that Emily simply was not up to her level. She would fight with all her heart, but without the necessary skills, she wondered if it would be enough. It was ironic in a way that was the reason she had kept going through her illness for so long without asking for help, when it was possible that if she were treated earlier this would not be happening.

"How long do I have?" Serena asked them. Her mother just shook her head sadly.

"We don't know." She answered honestly. "It could be years, with treatment, it might only be a few months. We really don't know."

"Does Emily know?" Serena asked them. Her parents just looked to each other. They didn't need to answer. She already knew that they hadn't told her little sister yet. Serena just lay back, her tears continuing to run as she took stock of what was happening.

"I want to go home." She told them.

"Sweetheart..."

"Please dad." She said, looking to him pleadingly. "If it's going to happen, I don't want it to happen here."

Her parents wanted to protest. They didn't want to do anything that would risk her losing any of the time she had left. They wanted her to have every precious second she could get, but even when she was too weak to stand, let alone leave the hospital under her own power, they knew that she could not be argued with. Her father just nodded.

"We'll talk to the doctors." He told her. "We'll see if there's anything we can arrange."

As her parents went to leave, she just called out.

"Mom!" She said, looking to her mother. "Emily...I need to tell her."

"Serena..."

"We all know what she's going to have to face." Serena interrupted her. "If anyone's going to ask her to take that risk, it should be me."

Back in the hospital, Serena felt a squeeze in her hand, and looked round, seeing Peter smiling at her.

"Hey, I'm the one that's all goofed out on medication remember?" He asked her. "I mean, seriously if you're that bored..."

"No, I'm not bored." She replied. "I just don't have many good memories of hospitals."

"You have one at least surely." He told her. "Unless you Samurai have some secrets I don't know about I'm guessing Emily didn't just appear out the ether."

"I was three genius." Serena chuckled. Seeing her smile and seeing her laugh, it made Peter feel a little bit better. He loved it when Serena was happy. It made the insanity of the journey that brought him to this place all seem worth it.

In the past, Peter was sitting in an interrogation room, waiting for someone to come and question him. He had seen all the movies, and knew that he was in deep shit.

His mom always thought that all those hours he spent in his room he was playing World of Warcraft. Indeed, he had spent some time doing just that, and always pulled up a window any time his mom came in to check on him. Right now, he wished that was the limit of his geekiness. However, he'd always not only had a flair for computers, but also something of a competitive nature, and a mentality of finding noel ways to bend and even break the rules if they didn't suit him. When he got fed up of his character being killed by twelve-year-olds that screamed obscenities across their microphones as they attacked, he tried his hand at tipping the scales. His first attempt at hacking had taken his character from a level 3 Paladin with basic equipment, to Lord Horrus the Vanquisher of Evil, a mighty warrior with numerous magic items he had accomplished no quests to attain that crushed anyone foolish enough to take him on.

From there though, he started to become bored with the game. It didn't provide the challenge he was hungry for, and so he had started to hack into other systems just to see if he could. Generally it was just harmless pranks. One time he had hacked into his mom's bank when they had wrongly overcharged her for a loan to instruct all their printers to print out one million copies of an essay entitled "learn to do maths genius".

From there though it had escalated as he tried to find new challenges. Unfortunately on this occasion, he found what seemed to be a benign site with a strangely intricate security system. He quickly closed it down as soon as he saw documents entitled "Top Secret" and "National Security". Unfortunately in his panic, he had not covered his tracks as much as he thought he had. The cops had stormed his home in the night as they slept, and before anyone knew what was happening, he found himself here.

The door to the room opened, and a man wearing a black suit with a burgundy tie walked in.

"Sit down." He instructed Peter.

"Look, I didn't mean..."

"I said SIT DOWN!" The man stated a little more bluntly. Peter just did as he was told, starting to shake in fear. The man started to pace the room, starting to leaf through a folder.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have done it." Peter rushed out. "Yeah, I hold my hands up, I hacked that site, but I didn't know what it was!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" The man asked. "What about the term 'national security' is not clear?"

"I'm telling you, I'm not trying to deny that I hacked that site, I'm just saying I thought it was only a tourist information site!" Peter insisted. "As soon as I saw what was on there, I shut it down! I didn't read anything I swear!"

"And how am I expected to trust you?" The man asked him. "Do you have any idea how valuable that information could be to certain groups? Who are you working for?"

"Working for?" Peter asked him. Just then, the penny finally dropped. "You're...you're not a cop are you?"

"No one talented enough to bypass that security could be that dumb, stop playing me kid." The agent snapped. "You think you're clever? Let's see how clever you are when you're in a room with no windows for the rest of your life!"

"Wait, you think I'm a terrorist?" Peter asked him. "Please, I swear I won't touch a computer again! I'll let you keep me under surveillance! I'll do anything, but please, believe me I didn't..."

"Maybe you'll be more co-operative after a night in the cells." He surmised. He pressed a button and a couple of other men in suits came in, grabbing Peter and dragging him from the room, taking him down to a black SUV in a parking lot.

The three agents bundled him inside, and started up, driving off into the night.

He had heard about stuff like this happening, it had been on numerous urban legend websites that people just disappeared after stumbling onto the wrong information online, but he had no idea it actually happened. He thought it belonged along with stories of the Roswell Alien and Area 51. He had to snap his thoughts back as he started to drift to wondering if those were really myths. After all, he was being taken somewhere, he didn't know where, and to the best of his knowledge, no one knew where, and he had no idea if he'd be released.

Just then, he noticed a car racing past them, steering directly in front of the SUV, before something dropped out the back. Hearing a sound as the vehicle drove over it, the agents all reached for weapons as the SUV suddenly came to a halt, throwing them around in their seats.

"What was that?" One of them called out.

"They dropped a stinger strip!" The driver called out. The agents all bundled out of the vehicle, at which smoke bombs activated.

Peter cowered in the back seat as he heard the sounds of someone being given a sound beating, before the smoke cleared. He saw five men dressed in black clothing, all wearing masks, standing over the unconscious bodies of the agents. One of them reached inside, grabbing Peter.

"Come on!" He called out.

"Who are you?" Peter asked.

"You can stay here till they wake up if you prefer." The man replied. Peter considered his options before making a choice and going with them. Getting into a blue Volkswagen van a little way off, they sped off, leaving one of the men in black behind.

He watched the van disappear into the distance, taking Peter to safety. He then pulled out a radio.

"Daisuke, we have him." The man stated. "Our friends will get him to the temple by tomorrow."

"Thank you for this assistance Ji." Daisuke replied. Mentor Ji got onto his motor cycle, grabbing his helmet from the handlebar.

"You are welcome." Ji answered, before kicking the bike into life and riding off.


	6. KneeJerk Reactions

As the first course was cleared away, Kevin watched Emily and Mike making little faces at each other, and just groaned. He knew they were in love, he was with Mia, but it was just a little bit wearing to watch them at the table. Of course, part of the reason it bothered him was the fact that he was still having difficulty letting go of what was troubling Mia.

He knew that recently she had encountered a lot of things that had occurred that had stirred up memories in her, painful ones that as near as he could tell were not so long ago. Rhinosnore had given her the chance to hold Evan again, a cruel thing to do since it also meant she had to let him go again. Finding Aaron, the guy who had left her to deal with everything on her own standing before her in the Shiba House was just another blow she could have done without. Kevin had seen to it that he threw him out and left him under no false impressions that he was not welcome at the Shiba House, but for Mia's benefit, he hadn't done anything to harm the man, despite desperately wanting to.

Mia was still incredibly quiet, having said very little since they had run into Billy in the mall. He hadn't known she had worked in a playgroup, he had thought that it might have been hard for her to face seeing kids in such a closed setting, where interacting with them was pretty much inevitable. In the end though, one of the things that really troubled him was that she had mentioned she had seen a therapist. He guessed it wasn't that surprising to know that she had sought help to get through what she had been through, but it still troubled him that she couldn't tell him about it. He was willing to do anything for her, go through anything for her, and yet she wouldn't let him be a part of it.

"Alright, would you two knock it off?" Kevin sighed, finally getting fed up with the cutesy faces and pet names between the two youngest Rangers. "We are in a public place. You have a room at home."

"Jeez Kev, lighten up." Mike stated with a little laugh. "The food's great, we have a couple of beautiful ladies with us, you should be happy."

"It's just...just...urgh!" He groaned.

"Well that's descriptive." Emily giggled as she huddled closer to Mike.

"It's just...I give up!" He told them. "It's worse than Mike with a milkshake when he keeps making that slurping sound."

"Hey, all the good stuff's at the bottom." Mike protested. "You have to make sure you get every last bit."

"Leave them alone Kevin." Mia sighed, saying what seemed like the first thing she had in hours. "They're happy."

Kevin just shook his head in disbelief, before letting it drop. His real worry was Mia, not what Mike and Emily were doing, it was just a little wearing that things were going so easily for them while he was worried about Mia. He just picked up a newspaper, having figured out that Mia was a long way from discussing things somewhere so public. He started to leaf through it.

"Hey guys, I think our main course might be coming." Mike announced craning his neck to see as a waiter came from the kitchen, carrying a couple of bowls of pasta and a side of garlic bread. "Kev, that looks like your tagliatelli."

Kevin didn't answer though; instead he just kept staring at the newspaper. Mike just laughed.

"And you call me immature. Just cause you don't get your own way you're giving me the silent treatment? What are we 8?" He teased Kevin. It was then that he noticed that Kevin genuinely wasn't listening in the slightest. He just kept staring at the same page of the news paper. Mike furrowed his brows as he tapped Kevin on the arm to rouse his attention. "Kev, food!"

Kevin folded up the newspaper and put it aside, looking up as the waiter did indeed arrive with their dishes. He started to lay them out, while Mike just looked to the Blue Ranger.

"Kev, seriously is everything alright?" He asked.

"Never better." Kevin sighed, reaching for the pepper as his dish was set down in front of him.

Back at the Shiba House, Antonio and Jayden had finished getting cleaned up after their busy afternoon selling Antonio's wares. It had been a really good day of business for them.

"_Now this is how it's meant to be!_" Antonio said with a little smile, before looking to Jayden. "Hey, if we keep this up, I'll be able to retire when I'm still young and pretty."

"Somehow I think you'll need more than a few hundred dollars a day for that Antonio." Jayden chuckled. Antonio just shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe if I put a few bucks away, I can start a larger business." Antonio suggested. "You know, open an actual restaurant. Right out there at the front, serving seafood freshly caught every day!"

"So you're planning to be the Colonel Sanders of fish?" Jayden asked him with a little laugh. He suddenly furrowed his brows as he realised something about what Antonio had said. "Wait; if you had a restaurant...wouldn't that limit you moving around?"

"People would come to me." Antonio stated with a huge grin. "My baby bass kebabs are already legendary in this city. And I guess I could do deliveries..."

"I mean, if you had a fixed premises...wouldn't that mean you'd be staying?" Jayden asked him.

"Yeah." Antonio replied. "Why?"

"I don't know. It's just, with the way you moved around so much, I guess I figured you'd get itchy feet." Jayden replied.

"I guess I just needed something to stick around for." Antonio answered as he looked to Jayden. The Red Ranger knew that Antonio had to be frustrated by how slowly things were moving between them. He really wanted to be who Antonio wanted him to be, to be honest with everyone about the way things had changed between them so they could be open about their relationship, but it still niggled on him a little. It was a big enough step telling them that he was gay, and he was glad they had accepted it. However, it was a different thing knowing he was gay and seeing him in a relationship. Jayden sighed.

"Thanks for being so patient with me." Jayden told him. "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Hey, whatever it takes." Antonio assured him as he started reading some mail.

"Well, I was thinking, it's just us and Mentor Ji in the house." Jayden told him, taking deep breaths as he tried to compose himself. "I think it might be easier to talk to him on his own, maybe..."

"_Piece of shit!_"

"What is it?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just showed him a letter.

"It's from the health department. They want to see me again about my equipment!" Antonio told him. "I guess Mentor's ex..."

"Somehow I doubt Brenda would be petty enough to take out the break up on you." Jayden assured him. "Come on, let's talk to Ji. He has connections in City Hall..."

"City Hall?" Antonio asked, interrupting him. "He's had connections in customs, City Hall, the cops, the underground...what the hell is he, James Bond?"

"He definitely has a lot of connections." Jayden agreed with a little smile. "It's a little scary sometimes how much influence he has. If he didn't have to be here, he could probably end up in the White House."

"I thought Samurai were all stoic and lone wolf-like." Antonio stated as he got up off the couch. "How did he...?"

"He told me he learned the value of information and contacts from an old friend." Jayden told him, putting an arm around Antonio as he led him to go and see Ji about clearing up his licensing issue.

Several years ago, it had been a few weeks since the would-be honour duel at the Wind Ninja Academy, and at last things were beginning to settle down. Ji had started to maintain a cool head and was able to walk away when he saw others whispering, and over time, the whispers started to quieten down. He still occasionally heard something, but under Kanoi's influence, the students were kept busy enough and interacting enough with their Samurai students that they were starting to believe that the accusations were unfounded, and Kia had indeed been acting alone.

In a forest, a little way from the temple, they were preparing for yet another training exercise. It was as much a game as anything else, something that rewarded some of the more advanced students for their tireless studies, a game called "Idol War!" It was essentially like a game the Samurai played, "Capture the Flag", but with a few key differences. Instead of chasing one person like a game of tag, the students were split into two teams. Each team was given an idol statue, a terracotta warrior around the size of a Barbie doll, to be kept at their 'base'. The objective was for one team to capture the other's idol, while maintaining the other, with the first team to be in possession of both idols being declared the winner.

There were another few key differences. For one, the students carried wooden training swords, and combat was not only permitted, but encouraged. The field was also magically littered with numerous non-lethal traps to hinder progress. All in, it was a dangerous game, but one that the students enjoyed immensely, as well as a great test of their skills. The only rule was that powers were not permitted, meaning everyone had to rely solely on their skills as ninjas.

Ji had progressed well since he had stopped confronting all the students, and indeed, he had learned a few things, though with no false modesty, he was still a better straight-up warrior than many of the ninja students, which was why Sensei had allowed him to participate in the exercise.

He gripped his training sword tightly as he looked through the forest, awaiting any signs of the opposition. His time at eh academy had really sharpened his senses, and now he was looking instinctively for any sign of movement at all, no matter how slight. Kanoi had taught him well.

As he saw a black blur a little way off, figuring that one of the students had been just that little bit too slow, he whistled and pointed with his bokken in that direction. His team started to move in.

Ji sprinted from cover, avoiding a few explosions of coloured smoke from the booby traps as he went. Quickly, the area was flooded with ninja, all battling each other for position. Ji was looking around, straining to see through the fog of coloured smoke as he took stock of their position. They were now locked in the middle of the battle ground, right where they should be. Of course, he was looking for one in particular.

As some smoke cleared, he saw Kanoi standing around twelve feet away, his back to him, his arms crossed across his chest. Ji let out a savage yell and started to charge.

He ran forward, raising his bokken over his shoulder, dodging another couple of explosions, but just as he got to him, preparing to swing, everything stopped and everyone looked to the sky. A rocket shot into the sky, exploding in a shower of red sparks. The contest was over. Kanoi's team had won.

"Damn it!" Ji snapped, throwing his bokken to the ground in frustration. They had played this game nearly two dozen times now, and always with the same result. Kanoi seemed to win long before it was physically possible to cross the field. The skirmishes they did have were sometimes brutal, but generally ended with Kanoi's team achieving their objective long before Ji had any idea where the opponent's idol even was. "How do you do it?"

Kanoi just shrugged, as Miko came across, pulling off her mask. She smiled as she came over and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

"I'm just good I guess." Kanoi replied.

"No, it's more than that." Ji told him. "I've timed it. Uninterrupted, I can sprint from one end of this field to the other in three minutes. You managed to capture our idol in three minutes and twenty three seconds."

Kanoi just smiled, clearly impressed.

"You learned how to keep time like I taught you." He replied.

"I need to know." Ji told him flatly. "Please."

He looked to Miko, who just shrugged. It was his call. Kanoi looked back to him.

"Why don't you ask Jeremy?" He asked him. "When he wakes up of course."

"Jeremy?" Ji asked. "But he was..."

Then the penny dropped. Jeremy was a water style student, one that Ji trusted, and he assigned him to guard the idol. Or at least, he believed he did. All the students wore masks during exercises, and recalling when he gave Jeremy the idol, he couldn't recall Jeremy saying anything.

"That's cheating!" Ji protested. Kanoi just smiled.

"I know you trust Jeremy, so I know you assigned him to protect your idol." Kanoi informed him. "Some of my team drugged him in the bathroom and a water student replaced him."

"But that's not fair!" Ji roared.

"Neither is war." Kanoi answered bluntly. "You forget, while you were raised by the Samurai Code, I was raised by the Ninja Philosophy."

"The contest was not fair!" Ji whined. Kanoi just laughed.

"Like I said, neither is war." Kanoi told him. "Those men you fought back home, every single one of them is back on the street. Those that were in jail have been released, those in hospital have recovered."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ji asked him. "Wait, how did you know...?"

"The Ninja were assassins, masters of the silent kill." Kanoi explained. "But their kills were also tactical. While the Samurai fought on the battle field, one on one, honourably, the Ninja prevailed in the long term. Do you know why?"

He moved closer.

"Why fight a thousand battles of a thousand men when a single act can end a war?" Kanoi asked him. "Information is the sharpest sword of all. If one has the right contacts, they can easily find those to remove that will make the most impact."

"Contacts?" Ji asked him. Kanoi just nodded with a self-assured smile on his face.

"You will find there is little that happens here I am unaware of." Kanoi assured him. "I will show you our ways if you are not too proud to learn."

As he walked away, Ji looked around at all the students nursing minor injuries. The battle in the middle of the field was pointless. It was a distraction while Kanoi achieved the true objective.

"Contacts?" Ji commented as he followed them. "Tell me more."

After lunch, the guys and the girls had split off to head home in their own time. Mike struggled to keep up with Kevin as he seemed to power through the city with intent.

"Whoa dude, we're not training remember?" Mike asked him. "Seriously, slow down!"

Kevin didn't answer though; he was too busy looking around for what he was clearly looking for. He seemed to finally find it, making his way to a shop window. Mike ran over to him, coming to his shoulder as the Blue Ranger finally stopped. Kevin was leaning on the glass, looking in intently.

"Alright, what's so...?" Mike's words tailed off as he looked to the window and realised they were at a jewellers. Kevin perused the display. "Uh Kevin? You know what this is right?"

Kevin continued to ignore him, instead heading inside. Mike followed him, seeing Kevin looking around displays. He came across, and looked down, seeing him looking at rings, more exactly, women's rings.

"Kevin?" Mike asked him.

"Stand back Mike, you're in the light." Kevin told him. As an assistant came over, Kevin pointed to a ring. "I'd like to see that one."

"Sir, that ring is rather..."

"I have money." Kevin assured him, pulling out a debit card. "Let me see the ring."

Mike just watched as the assistant handed the ring to Kevin, and the Blue Ranger looked at it, smiling. He gave it only a seconds' thought before making his decision.

"I'll take it." He told the assistant, handing it back. Mike just looked to Kevin in shock as a thought occurred to him.

"Kevin, you do know what that is right?" Mike asked him.

"Yes, it's an engagement ring." Kevin replied matter-of-factly.

"So...?"

"I'm going to ask Mia to marry me." Kevin put down flatly. Mike just looked confused, trying to think of something to say. None of them had been dating particularly long; Kevin and Mia had only been going out a few months.

"Look, I know a lot of stuff has gone down for Mia recently." Mike told him. "God, I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but...don't do anything hasty."

"There's nothing hasty about it Mike, we're made for each other!" Kevin replied, shoving him into a wall. "Now if you can't support us or say something useful, just sit down!"

Mike just held up his hand in a peace sign and went to the corner to sit while Kevin went to the counter to pay for his purchase. While he was waiting, hoping he was entirely wrong about Kevin's assertions that this was 'the moment', he pulled the newspaper out of Kevin's bag, intending to read the cartoons page.

As he flipped through though, an article caught his eye. He stopped and read it, his heart sinking as he realised that Kevin had to have seen it too. He just looked over to the counter, where Kevin was looking longingly at the ring in its box, smiling as he handed over his credit card.

"Oh this isn't good." Mike muttered.


	7. Shattered Dreams

As they walked home, Mike was always a few paces behind Kevin. He always knew that Kevin was fitter than him as a result of his swimming training, but he was no slouch himself. He had always kept up his fitness and his hand-to-hand training even long before it became clear he was needed as a Ranger. Still, Kevin seemed to leave him in his wake, even just walking with a purpose.

"Kev!" Mike called out. "Kev!"

"You're not talking me out of this Mike." Kevin put down flatly as he paused for a second to admire the ring. He loved Mia; he loved her with all of his heart. There wasn't a thing in his life he wouldn't sacrifice in a heartbeat to make her happy. All he wanted was for her to be happy, and he wanted that to be for the rest of their lives. He wanted to offer Mia her Prince Charming, her Happy Ending, no matter what it cost.

"Kevin..."

"Mike, you can help or you can stay out of the way!" Kevin snapped as Mike tried to intercept. "I have to get ready!"

Just as Kevin stormed into the house, Jayden and Antonio were coming out. They planned to inspect his equipment before an inspector came to check it out. Jayden just looked after him.

"Kevin looks pissed." He commented. "More than usual."

"_Isn't he always?_" Antonio commented. "What...?"

"I think this might have something to do with it." Mike commented, showing the guys the article in the newspaper. Jayden and Antonio both gasped in disbelief.

"But...I thought..."

"I think we all know what this means." Mike commented. "If we don't stop him, he might just make the biggest mistake of his life."

Meanwhile, Emily and Mia were busy in the city, looking out things to take to Peter when they next visited. None of them really knew the guy, but he was important to Serena, so by extension he was important to them.

Mia noticed that Emily was a little less than enthusiastic when they were in the soft toy aisle of the local toy store. Normally they had to peel her off the shelves, despite the fact she was technically an "adult" at 18 years old.

"Emily?" Mia asked. Emily just looked to her.

"I was just thinking." Emily told her. "Maybe Peter would be happy with..."

"I'm alright Emily; I don't burst into tears when I see kids' toys anymore." Mia assured her. Emily just shuffled a little uncomfortably.

"Sorry, it's just..." She began to stammer, playing with her sweater as she did so. "With Aaron showing up..."

"I can't say that wasn't a shock." Mia stated bluntly. "If I have any problems, I'll tell you."

"Promise?" Emily asked, holding up a hand and extending a pinky. "Pinky swear promise?"

"I promise." Mia assured her, locking pinkies with her as a memory came to her.

It had been a few months since Mia had come to the playgroup, but things were definitely different. Instead of dreading coming to face the kids, she now loved the time she spent with them. The kids treated her as a friend, and always invited her to join their games, despite the fact she was a "grown-up", and by extension untrustworthy in their games.

When the arrow landed, she knew exactly what it meant. Her family had prepared her for her whole life for that moment, but that didn't make it any easier. The kids had all buzzed around the arrow, thinking it was 'cool' that it had fallen out the sky, but Mia knew its real intent.

As she packed up her bag, she turned to the door, finding Billy standing there with tears in his eyes. She knew that some of the other kids picked on him, but she had never witnessed anything, so she couldn't intervene. Billy had a special bond with her, having seemingly chosen her as his "playgroup mommy", and always stuck close to her when she was there.

"You're...you're not coming back are you?" He asked her. Mia felt a lump in her throat as he asked her this, but shook her head.

"No." She answered honestly. "I have something important, really important to take care of. I may not be back for a long time."

"But...I thought you were only going for a few days!" Billy protested. "I thought..."

"It isn't a holiday Billy; I have something really important to do." Mia assured him. "By the time I come back, you might already be in school..."

"NO!" He shot out, running up and hooking his arms around Mia's left leg with a grip that showed the kind of desperation only a four-year-old could muster. "You're not going, not without me!"

"I promise I'll be back." Mia assured him as she tried to peel him off her leg. "You need to stay here with your mommy..."

"But you're fun!" He protested. "Did I do something wrong? Was I naughty? Please stay, I'll not do it again..."

"Sometimes grown-ups just have things they have to do." Mia replied as she knelt down, finally able to pry Billy from her leg. "I swear I'll come back."

"Pinky swear?" He asked, extending a pinky. Mia just smiled.

"Yeah, pinky swear." Mia replied. Locking pinkies with the little boy. She knew that the odds were that if she came back at all, by the time she did Billy would already be in school and have forgotten her long ago, but she couldn't bring herself to let him down. Billy was a sweet kid, and one of the first she was able to relate to following what happened with Evan. He was just as important to her as she was to him, and she was determined to come back.

As the horn honked again, she gathered her things, leaving a pre-typed letter behind. She always carried a letter with her, at first because she didn't know if she'd cope with the kids being around her, reminding her of what she had lost with Evan, but later it was because she didn't know when she would be called to do her duty.

Back in the present day, Emily just nudged her.

"Mia, the bus is here." She reminded her. The Shiba House was on the outskirts of town, and there was still a fair distance from the bus stop to the house. "Mia!"

"Sorry Em, I was a million miles away." Mia confessed as they boarded and Emily paid the fare. Mi never admitted it to Emily because she didn't want to insult her by insinuating she was a child, but one of the things she loved about having her on the team was that it gave her someone to mentor, someone that looked up to her. Emily was, in some ways, filling a gap in her life that she had since she came to the Shiba House.

As they sat down, Emily's phone bleeped. She pulled it out; grinning as she saw it was from Mike.

"You know, you two do live together." Mia reminded her. "You share a room."

"I know, it's just..." Emily blushed as she thought about her boyfriend. "It's really sweet. He wants to know I'm alright."

"Well I have a boyfriend too, but we're not joined at the hip." Mia reminded her. She saw Emily pouting a little and felt bad about it. "Sorry, I guess all the stuff that's been happening recently...I guess Kevin and I haven't been that cutesy recently. If I'm honest, I'm kind of jealous."

"Really?" Emily asked her. "Serena's still on my case all the time asking if Mike's pressuring me..."

"He would never do that, we all know that." Mia put down flatly. "Put it this way, I wish I had a big sister like Serena. Maybe if I had..."

Her word tailed off. She didn't need to explain, Emily already knew the intended message. She just gripped Mia's hand. Mia held it, squeezing it in return.

Meanwhile, Kevin was heading back to the Shiba house intently, his pace still leaving Mike in his wake. The Green Ranger was struggling to keep up.

"Kev!" He blurted out again. "Think about this!"

"I have Mike, I've thought about nothing else." Kevin stated. "I'm asking her..."

"Kevin!" Mike stated again as he grabbed the Blue Ranger's shoulder, spinning him around. "I saw the paper, I get it man..."

Kevin didn't answer though. Clenching his jaw in frustration, he thought for a moment, before turning back, throwing a fist into Mike's jaw, knocking him out cold.

He didn't want to hurt Mike, although there were a lot of times he had wanted to punch his lights out over the time they had been in the house together, Mike was kind of like a brother he never had. He always looked out for Kevin. The time Kevin had accidentally broken a Buddha statue with his bokken during training, Mike had accepted the blame. On another occasion, Mike took the blame for a damaged bonsai.

He regretted hurting Mike, but his mind was made up. He was asking Mia to marry him.

Mentor Ji was out on the porch, just finishing off a cell phone call when Jayden arrived. He was smiling, which was a good sign.

"Thank you my friend." Ji stated. "Yes, I look forward to you kicking my ass on the golf course."

He hung up, before turning to see Jayden.

"Antonio need not worry; his full licence will arrive in the mail on Monday." Ji assured him. "No consequences."

"I don't even want to ask what connections you had to use to pull that off." Jayden chuckled, looking around nervously. Ji couldn't help smiling. It had been a long time since he had seen Jayden like that. He had raised the Red Ranger since he was six-years old, and knew intimately that he was a hopeless liar. He always knew when Jayden was hiding something, and now, it was almost like the time Jayden was seven, and trying to hide a stray dog in his bedroom.

"Is there something you would like to discuss?" Ji asked him. Jayden just nodded.

"I forgot how good you are." He replied. "Ji...I want to talk to you about Antonio."

Ji just stood, his cane in a relaxed grip as he witnessed Jayden struggling with what he was about to say.

"You know that conversation we had a while back?" Jayden asked him. "The one where...you know...I told you about myself?"

Ji just smiled and nodded. In truth, he had already guessed about Jayden and Antonio, but he wanted his 'son' to tell him for himself. He knew that it was a big deal for Jayden, and that it was not something that should be forced.

"Well, you know how Antonio and I are...the same way inclined in...you know...that way." Jayden continued. Ji just nodded. "The thing is...we're more than just friends."

Ji just pulled Jayden in, hugging him tightly. He hadn't ever planned on what was happening, but he had known early on, even before Jayden had admitted it that the Red Ranger was not destined for a traditional family life.

"I trust your judgement." Ji assured him as he released him. Just then, the girls came back in, carrying a heavy load of shopping bags.

"I see you two have had a busy day." Jayden sniggered.

"I am never shopping with Mia again." Emily muttered bad-temperedly as she pulled a soft toy from one of the bags. "This is all I bought!"

Mia just shrugged as she put down the bags, resolving to move them later. She looked to Jayden.

"So how's the shoulder?" She asked him.

"Antonio thinks it's a great marketing gimmick." Jayden told her. "He sold out at lunchtime."

Just then, Kevin came storming into the Shiba House, looking around frantically. As soon as he saw Mia, his face lit up.

"There you are." He breathed, coming over to her. "Mia, I have something really important to ask you."

"Uh...alright?" She stammered, seeing the state he was in. It looked like he had run all the way from town. If he was that desperate to see her, especially since they shared a room, and he knew he would be seeing her eventually, then it had to be important. "What is it?"

"I wanted this to be all romantic and special and fairy tale...hell, you deserve all that." Kevin rambled as he looked to her.

"Kevin, slow down and breathe." Mia instructed him, seeing the way he was acting. "Just, take a deep breath and tell me what's going on."

"Mia, you are by far the most beautiful, wonderful, kind-hearted person I have ever met." Kevin told her, before lowering to one knee. He reached into the front pocket of his hoodie, pulling out a little box, before presenting it to her. Mia just stared as he opened it, revealing an engagement ring. "That is why I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Mia...will you marry me?"

Mike stormed into the room at that point, but seeing Kevin on one knee, he already knew he was too late. Everyone else was just staring in disbelief.

"Kevin..."

"I know you want the fairytale, the big beautiful wedding, I can give you that!" Kevin rushed out. "I have money, savings, believe me, I can get you all that..."

"Kevin, this is a bit sudden." Mia told him. He just took her hands in his.

"Love is sudden, it's like the arrow Mentor sent us. It's a bolt from the blue, but when it happens, you know its right." Kevin continued. Mike ran over.

"Kev." Mike interjected. "Can I have a word?"

"Not right now, we're doing something." Kevin insisted. "Mia, please, you want a prince charming, please let that be me."

"Kevin...I don't know what I'm thinking, let alone feeling." Mia told him honestly. "Seriously, between Rhinosnore and Aaron and..."

"I was there for all of that." Kevin told her.

"Kev..."

"I'll put you on your ass again if I have to!" Kevin snapped at the Green Ranger. He turned back to Mia. "Please, I've never been more serious about anything in my life. I want to be with you Mia; I want to be with you for the rest of our lives. Please, will you marry me?"

"Kevin...I don't know." Mia told him. "I'm not saying no, it's just...my head's all over the place right now. I can't possibly make that kind of commitment..."

"It's Aaron isn't it?" Kevin interrupted her, his face growing colder. Mia just looked to him in shock.

"Partly, but..."

"You want Aaron!" Kevin stated, beginning to shake his head in disbelief. "I should have seen this coming..."

"Kevin, I didn't say..."

"You had a kid with the guy!" Kevin barked angrily. He looked around the room, seeing the judgemental looks from the others before he threw the ring down on the ground.

"Here, take it." He spat. "I'm sure you and Aaron can pawn it."

As he stormed out of the house, almost knocking Antonio on his ass on the way out, the Gold Ranger just looked after him.

"Wow, someone's friendly." He remarked. "What happened?"

"I think we'd all like to know." Emily replied. "Kevin came in here and proposed, then went all Tonto."

"What did I say?" Mia asked. "I know I didn't say yes, but..."

"It wasn't anything you said." Mike told them, picking up the paper. His jaw was already a little swollen from Kevin's sucker punch, but he wasn't running after him to seek vengeance. He turned it to a page and handed it over to Jayden. "I think this set him off."

"The sports' page?" Jayden asked. "What...?"

"Read it." Mike told him. Jayden continued to read until he found a particular article, the one he figured Mike was talking about.

"Local Olympic tryout team chosen?" Jayden asked. Mike just nodded.

"The tryouts were last week; Kevin missed them because of this." Mike told them. "That means..."

"He's not going to the Olympics." Emily sighed. "But...what about next time?"

"The next games are in 2016." Mike reminded her. "Kevin's already 22. Most athletes retire in their mid to late twenties. If he didn't make it this time..."

"It's unlikely he'll make it next time." Antonio concluded, looking to the door Kevin stormed out of sympathetically.

Meanwhile, in the city, Kevin was storming around, shoving people out of his way angrily as he made his way to a view point. He ignored the insults and angry comments as he did so, he genuinely didn't care anymore.

All he had ever wanted, from the moment he could swim was to compete in the Olympics. It was his dream to compete, regardless of what actually happened at the time, to stand before a world stage and give it his all.

He already knew that he would never make the tryouts this time around, his Ranger duties came first as they always had, but when he read the local team list, it was driven home like a stake to the heart. He knew every name on that list, and he knew he was better than every one of them. He could leave every one of them in his wake barely breaking a sweat. He always knew that when he took up the morpher earlier that year, it was unlikely, virtually impossible that he would make the tryouts, but now he knew they were over.

He sat on a bench, his head in his hands and broke down in tears. He was 22. By the time the next games came around, he would be 26, and most athletes retired in their mid to late twenties. If he returned to full-time training the following day, it was still up in the air whether or not he would be ready for the 2016 games. Although there was a chance, he was realistic about the odds.

His dream was over.

Fin.


End file.
